Testimonials
“I wish I had known Stella when I purchased my first home 30 years ago! Working with Stella to sell our home in Los Altos HIlls was a wonderful experience in every regard. While not based in Los Altos Hills, she understood our local market extraordinarily well. She engaged with a Los Altos Hills branch of her agency to ensure sufficient coverage for showings and to collaborate on developing the best marketing strategy. The process was seamless. Our home ended up selling at a price 20% higher than what one of the top (and very well known) realtors had estimated.
Stella is a very positive person. She is warm and humble (even though extremely talented) and was a joy to work with. She was very thorough in reading all the details in the buying/selling documents. Her attention to detail is superb, catching many important details missed by other realtors. Most importantly though, we knew that at every step in the process, Stella had our best interests in mind. Stella embodies two key attributes of a realtor: being tough when the situation requires, and being compassionate and thoughtful when big decisions need to be made. She asks all the right questions and provides excellent advice and wisdom, drawing from her many years of experience. Stella was truly our “dream” selling agent. We couldn’t imagine a better process or outcome without having her by our side. Thank you, Stella!”
- KELLY POPE and DAVID BULFUR
“My wife and I first met Stella when we purchased our new home in Half Moon Bay. Having bought and sold several properties over the past several years, we had certainly worked with our fair share of realtors. Shortly after meeting Stella, my wife and I came to the realization that she is not only extremely good at what she does, but she leaves her competition far behind with respect to professionalism and attentiveness. Stella's attention to detail would make even the most meticulous accountant proud, and her personality was a calming influence during the inevitable hiccups that plague almost any transaction. We liked Stella so much, in fact, that we hired her to help us sell our former home. True to form, Stella guided us through the process efficiently, calmly, and with a remarkable eye for detail. I've found that realtors are typically very responsive to phone calls and emails -- perhaps a necessity for professional survival. That being said, Stella sets a new standard in that regard. We exchanged dozens (if not hundreds) of messages during our two transactions, and I can't recall waiting more than few minutes for a response, even late in the evening. To say that Stella is "on top of it" would be an understatement. I should also note that Stella highlighted a potentially problematic legal issue with the home we purchased. Acting on her advice, we were able to work through it, but the fact that this potentially hugely significant issue slipped past all of many realtors who had previously bought and sold the home (and neighboring properties) is telling. Nothing gets past her! Stella was also quick to offer recommendations for remodeling our new house. When we needed a painter, she connected us with the most professional contractor with whom I have ever worked. When we needed a handyman, she came through with a good referral. When we need someone to haul away the remnants of our remodel for a modest price, she had us covered. The list goes on. In summary, you can't go wrong with Stella. We highly recommend her to anyone in need of a realtor.”
- DAVID MAGNUSON and JANELLE TAMM MAGNUSON
“Stella is an excellent Realtor who is dedicated to serving her clients and protecting their interests. We recently sold our house and purchased a new home. Stella's experience, expertise, and astute negotiating skills were instrumental in making our move a financial success as well as a pleasurable experience. When people talk to us about moving, we highly recommend they contact Stella!”
- BOB and JAYNE KENYON
We had the pleasure of working with Stella Johnson on the sale of our house and the purchase of our new house this past fall. Stella does not advertise, and now I know why. I have already done all the advertising she will ever need. What do I tell everyone? She is the most competent, organized, honest, and realistic realtor and person I have ever met. She is always one step ahead of everyone else...and believe it or not, she actually made the whole process kind of fun!!! Now I sit in my little beach house, happy as a clam, and Stella made it possible.
- SUZIE HERHOLD
“Recently, my husband and I met with several realtors in and around the Bay Area to help us find a home for the next stage in our lives, and we worked with this group for several weeks before finding our perfect house! It was Stella Johnson in Half Moon Bay who not only made us happy with a beautiful coast side home, but really stood out among all the realtors with whom we were working for her unerring professionalism. Once we found the house, which already had multiple offers, Stella sat with us for several hours to create a winning offer which didn’t over-expose us financially, yet met the sellers’ unique needs. Her experience in this community and unmatched real estate savvy kept impressing, all throughout the pre-close negotiations, inspections and details. She was able to help us close within record time, supervising every communication and transaction with tenacity, energy and grace. And once we approached our move-in date, Stella continued to stand by us for everything we needed: she’s very well connected in the community - and we were totally new - so Stella was able recommend a host of excellent professionals for everything from repairs and cleaning, to painting and decorating. We are grateful we came to Stella - her skilled, detailed and persistent approach made for a 100% positive experience. In Stella we found an intelligent and caring business partner, and we will surely remain close to her in the future.”
- VICKI and KLAUS JULKOWSKI
Stella walked me through each step of buying a house of my own - a very anxiety-provoking process for me. I felt very taken care of. She made sure that I felt secure about the house from the roof to the basement and everything in-between. I was quickly able to get into my home, and it was actually fun. Stella made it fun! Now I can sit and watch the whales.
- DR. MARY SANDERS
Stella is the best real estate agent we have personally met and had the good fortune to work with. We always felt she was 10 steps ahead of us, truly carrying the load of what it takes to buy and sell a house, and earned the confidence we had in her. We spoke of her as a good coach, someone that really knows the game and all the plays and circumstances that can occur when the ball is in play. We felt like she always had her eye on the game, game plays in hand, and whenever things happened - and unforeseen things ALWAYS HAPPEN - her response was immediate and always helpful. We never felt pressured about 'selling the house' for anyone's sake but our own. Even though she was the coach, we felt like it was our home, sold at our price, with the conditions we needed in order to sell. And beyond knowing her work very well, she is personally a trustworthy human being - no game playing in the negative sense - which we believe works for both the buyer and the seller. Transactions were open and direct.
- SUSAN MARTIN